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No Spray News

James Irwin
PO Box 6393
Columbia, SC  29260

803-782-7114

March 11, 2002      Page 4

Is Ending Spraying POLITICAL POISON?

   One of the first things you notice when you enter the Richland County Vector Control office is the pair of maps on the wall. On one, the different areas of Richland County that are sprayed are delineated. The other map shows the boundaries of Richland County Council Districts. Is Vector Control spraying mosquitoes, or constituents?

If it Sounds Too Good To Be True

   Indeed, mosquito spraying is popular in Columbia / Richland County, or should I say, the concept of mosquito spraying is popular - the concept being that of a benign mist which magically makes the mosquitoes disappear.

But, Familiarity Breeds Contempt

   That is basically what I found in an August 1997 random telephone survey of residents of Richland County. Supporters of mosquito spraying outnumbered opponents, 61% - 39%.

   But a funny thing becomes evident when you look at the data more closely: it turns out that the more familiar people were with mosquito spraying, the less they supported it. Among those aware of being sprayed in the current year, opponents of mosquito spraying outnumbered supporters, 70%-30%. The data is shown in the table below;

Columbia/Richland County Mosquito Spraying Survey     August 1997

 

not aware of
being sprayed
in last 2 years

aware of being
sprayed last year
not current year

aware of being
sprayed in
current year

total

% in favor
of spraying

74%

47%

30%

61%

% against
spraying (total)

26%

53%

70%

39%

% against:
health and smell

7%

24%

30%

14%

% against:
doesn't work

0%

0%

40%

7%

% against:
not needed

19%

11%

0%

14%

% against:
other

0%

18%

0%

3%

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

   "People like to see a mosquito truck going up and down the. street," said Khian K. Liem, maager of the South Cook County Mosquito Abatement District. They say, 'Oh, I'm getting something for my tax money.' But they're getting nothing. As a matter of fact, it does more harm than good."

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Monday, June 5, 1989

If at First You Don't Succeed...

   "In the case of albopictus (i.e., the Tiger mosquito], what's so frustrating for us is that when we try to spray, and people have incubators all over the neighborhood, it seems very ineffective and we continue to get calls from the neighborhood, saying, "It's not doing any good. You need to come back out and spray."                                                      

(source:  1996 telephone conversation)
Sue Ferguson, 
(former) Director
Richland County Vector Control

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